Canopy door



CANOPY DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 19, 1966 8 2 M y WW w 2. M M f, m

ATTORNEYS Dec. 3, 1968 c. s. DAVIDSON CANOPY DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 19, 1966 A 7' TORNEVS United States Patent 3,413,757 CANOPY DOOR Charles 5. Davidson, La Salle, Mich, assignor to Byrne Doors, Inc., Ferndale, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Sept. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 580,409 8 Claims. (Cl. 49-200) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An operating mechanism for a door which preferably includes a cable for raising and lowering the door between open and closed positions and an arm for controlling the angular movement of the door. Means are provided for bracing the door against the force of wind load when closed, preferably including pivoted brace arms connected to the door and to a fixed support and another arm for holding the brace arms in straight condition when the door is closed.

This invention relates generally to industrial doors and refers more particularly to industrial doors of the canopy type.

It is an essential object of this invention to provide operating mechanism for moving a door between open and closed positions and having means for bracing the door against wind load when in closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide operating mechanism which is particularly adapted for use with a door of lightweight construction.

Another object is to provide operating mechanism which includes cables for raising the door and arms for controlling the angular movement of the door as it is raised.

Another object is to provide operating mechanism wherein the bracing means for resisting wind load includes brace arms having their adjacent ends pivoted together and having their remote ends pivoted respectively to the door and to a fixed support.

Another object is to provide means for holding the brace arms in straight condition when the door is closed to brace the door against wind load and operative to move the brace arms away from straight condition in response to initial movement of the door from closed to open position.

Another object is to provide operating mechanism of the above description for a door composed of separable side-by-side sections joined together by vertical stiles, the operating mechanism and brace means being connected to the stiles.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view with parts in section illustrating an industrial door and operating mechanism all in accordance with my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the door on a reduced scale, looking from the left in FIGURE 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the door is generally indicated by the reference character D and may be of any suitable construction although in the present instance it is composed of a plurality of individual, separable panel sections 12 and intervening elongated vertical stiles 14. The stiles may be of any suitable strong construction, and thus may be formed of I-beam or channel sections if desired. The door is shown in FIGURE 3 closing a large opening which may, for example, be the 3,413,757 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 'ice opening in an aircraft hangar 13. The opening is generally designated 16.

The door in FIGURE 3 is shown in its closed position. It is also shown closed in solid lines in FIGURE 1. The door when elevated to the open horizontal position shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 1, rotates in a clockwise direction.

The overhead building structure includes the horizontal I-beam 18 which extends above the door opening and has a plurality of spaced brackets 20 supporting pulleys 22. Cables for raising the door from its closed to its open position are generally designated 24. The cables extend over the pulleys and are connected to stiles 14 by brackets 26. One such cable is connected in this manner to each stile. In a broad sense the cables may be attached to other points on the door. However, the present door construction composed of generally lightweight panel sections 12 and intervening stiles 14 is best suited for connection of the cables to the stiles because of the strength of the stiles.

The cables extend horizontally inwardly of the opening, that is within the building as shown in FIGURE 1, and are trained over the pulleys 30 and may be taken in or payed out by the power mechanism 32. The counterbalance 34 connected to the cables is provided to offset to some degree the weight of the door. It will be understood that the power mechanism 32 may be operated to reel in the cables 24 and thereby raise the door from closed to open position, or may be operated to pay out the cables for a reverse movement of the door. In the closed position of the door shown in FIGURE 1, the upper door edge may contact the lower flange of I-beam 18.

As above stated, the door rotates 90 in a clockwise direction as it is moved from closed to open position. Controlling this angular movement of the door D are the arms 36. The upper ends of the arms 36 are pivoted to supports 38 secured to the lower flange of I-beam 18. The lower ends of arms 36 are pivoted at 40 to the stiles 14. FIGURE 1 shows the pivots 40 as being disposed within the stile structure, that is between the inner and outer faces of the door. However, the arms may, if desired, be pivoted to the outer surfaces of the stiles. As above indicated, the sectional design of the door While preferred is not altogether necessary, and when this type door is employed it is preferable to pivot the arms 36 to the stiles because of the strength of the stiles. However, it should be understood that other points of pivotal connec tion between the arms and the door may be provided. In the present instance, there is an arm 36 pivoted to each stile. The arms 36 are such that during the opening or closing movement of the door by operation of the cables, the door is rotated and controlled during the opening and closing movement so that it moves in an upward or a downward arc depending on the direction of door movement.

When the door is in the closed position illustrated, it is subject to heavy wind load pressures, and to resist such pressures, the bracing assembly generally designated 50 is employed. Referring to FIGURE 1, bracing assembly 50 includes brace arms 52 and 54 which have their adjacent ends pivoted together at 56. The upper end of arm 52 is pivoted at 58 to I-beam 60 which is part of the over head building structure, and the lower end of the brace arm 54 is pivoted at 62 to the bracket 64 carried on the inner side of a stile. A separate bracing assembly is provided for each stile, to increase the resistance of the door to the pressure of wind load. It will be understood of course that fewer bracing assemblies may be employed if desired, although in the preferred construction each of the stiles is braced as illustrated in FIGURE 1.

When the door is in the closed position, the brace arms of each bracing assembly assumes a straight condition as shown in FIGURE 1. In other words, the brace arms 52 and 54 lie on a straight line to provide the maximum amount of resistance to wind load. Since the arms 52 and 54 are in pure compression under the force of wind load, they do not need to be of particularly heavy construction.

In order to keep arms 52 and 54 straight when the door is in closed position, a link 66 is employed in each bracing assembly which is pivoted at 68 to the channel 60 and at 70 to the bracket 72 which is mounted on brace arm 54 near pivot 56.

Bracing assemblies 50 comprising brace arms 52 and 54 lie wholly within vertical planes normal to the plane of the closed door 14. Hence the brace arms 52 and 54 when straight will resist the force of the wind on the closed door, the arms being in compression and subject to no twisting or bending forces.

When the door is initially moved away from closed position, the door is raised by cables 24 and simultaneously pivoted slightly in a clockwise direction by the action of arms 36. The pivots 62 at the lower ends of the brace arms 54 begin to swing in an upward arc and the brace arms 52 and 54 pivot with respect to one another about the pivot point 56. The brace arms then continue to pivot relative to one another and ultimately assume the dotted line position shown in the open position of the door. Upon closing of the door, the movement of the various parts is reversed and in the fully closed position of the door the links 66 are effective to hold brace arms 52, 54 in their straight line condition as illustrated in FIGURE 1 for maximum resistance to the force of wind load.

The door as previously stated is preferably of the sectional type, and it will be understood that by reason of this construction the door may be made of any length merely by adding panel sections 12 and intervening stiles 14. These panel sections can be made of very light section and in order to oppose the effect of wind load an additional bracing assembly 50 should be installed on each stile.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Operating mechanism for a door movable between a lower generally upright position closing an opening and an upper open position in which the door is disposed generally above the opening at a substantial angle to the plane of the opening, said mechanism comprising means for moving the door from its lower to its upper position, said moving means including a cable for raising said door from its closed to its open position, and an arm pivoted to the door and to a fixed support for controlling the angular movement of the door as it is raised from its closed to its open position by said cable, and means for bracing said door against the force of wind load when in closed position, said bracing means including brace arms having their adjacent ends pivoted together and their remote ends pivoted respectively to said door and to a fixed support located in spaced relation to the plane of the opening, and means for holding said brace arms in straight condition when said door is closed to brace said door against wind load and for moving said brace arms away from straight condition in response to initial movement of the door from closed to open position.

2. The mechanism defined in claim 1, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises an arm pivoted to a fixed support and to one of said brace arms near the adjacent pivoted-together ends of said brace arms.

3. Operating mechanism for a door movable between a lower generally upright position closing an opening and an upper open position in which the door is disposed generally above the opening at a substantial angle to the plane of the opening, said mechanism comprising means for moving the door from its lower to its upper position, said moving means including a plurality of laterally spaced cables connected to said door at laterally spaced points and operable to raise said door from its closed to its open position, and a plurality of laterally spaced arms pivoted to said door and to fixed supporting structure for controlling the angular movement of'said door as it is raised from its closed to its open position by said cables, and means for bracing said door against the force of wind load when in closed position, said bracing means including laterally spaced pairs of brace arms, each pair of brace arms having the adjacent ends pivoted together, the opposite end or one of said brace arms of each pair being pivoted to fixed support structure located in spaced relation to the plane of the opening, the opposite end of the other brace arm of each pair being pivoted to said door, and means for holding each pair of brace arms in straight condition when said door is closed to brace said door against wind load and for moving said brace arms away from straight condition in response to initial movement of the door from closed to open position.

4. The mechanism defined in claim 3, wherein said last-mentioned means includes arms each pivoted to a fixed support and to one of the brace arms of a pair near the adjacent pivoted-together ends of said brace arms.

5. The mechanism defined in claim 4, wherein said door is composed of individual side-by-side sections connected by vertical stiles, said cables being connected to said stiles and said points of pivotal connection between said door and said other brace arms being located on said stiles.

6. Operating mechanism for a door movable between a lower generally upright position closing an opening and an upper open position in which the door is disposed generally above the opening at a substantial angle to the plane of the opening, said mechanism comprising means for moving the door from its lower to its upper position, and means for bracing said door against the force of wind load when in closed position, said bracing means including brace arms having their adjacent ends pivoted together and their remote ends pivoted respectively to said door and to a fixed support located in spaced relation to the plane of the opening, and means for holding said brace arms in straight condition when said door is closed to brace said door against wind load and for moving said brace arms away from straight condition in response to initial movement of the door from closed to open position.

7. The mechanism defined in claim 6, wherein said last mentioned means comprises an arm pivoted to a fixed support and to one of said brace arms near the adjacent pivoted-together ends of said brace arms.

8. Operating mechanism for a door movable between a lower generally upright position closing an opening and an upper open position in which the door is disposed generally above the opening at a substantial angle to the plane of the opening, said mechanism comprising means for moving the door from its lower to its upper position, and means for bracing said door against the force of wind load when in closed position, said bracing means including brace arms having their adjacent ends pivoted together and their remote ends pivoted respectively to said door and to a fixed support located in spaced relation to the plane of the opening, said brace arms being disposed in a straight condition when said door is closed to brace said door against wind load and pivoting relative to one another away from straight condition when said door is moved from closed toward open position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,936,830 5/1'960 Mosher 49-199 X 3,313,062 4/1962 Dugger 49-200 FOREIGN PATENTS 229,000 8/1963 Austria. 1,287,224 1/ 1962 France.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

J. KARL BELL, Assistant Examiner. 

